How to get the best hotels for the least amount of money?

I will be spending my next summer in Korea and Japan and was wondering how I should attack the accommodation side of this trip.

I really want to experience some of the best hotels in Seoul, Tokyo etc but I dont want to pay the full price. I just used 100k miles from US to go on this trip in first class and hoping to continue on the same road of getting a far better product for less.

Start by figuring out which hotels you'd like to stay at. I'm guessing the Park Hyatt Seoul and PH Tokyo are high on the list. I stayed at the JW Marriott Seoul (#2 behind the PH according to Tripadvisor at my last check) and have a trip report about it over on Flyertalk, and I can highly recommend it. Then, figure out the best ways to accumulate the points or free nights needed to stay at the hotels you are looking at staying at. Good luck!

I really want to experience some of the best hotels in Seoul, Tokyo etc...

Click to expand...

define what best means to you & then let the board know.

For instance my definition of best includes location of the hotel, I want to be able to stroll out and see the sights I want to see and once done with the nearby sights, I want the hotel to be in a great location for venturing out elsewhere. For Seoul that hands down is the Westin Chosun in my opinion yet I'm sure there are more luxurious hotels in Seoul if that is what you mean by best.

Another part of your strategy will probably involve getting a new credit card, or two. Many of us jumped at the new Citi Hilton Visa. Those hotel-branded cards will often get you status and more amenities when you get to the hotel. Plus, the points you'll get for meeting your initial spend requirement.

For me "best" is about location and price much more than whether it is a Park Hyatt, Westin or W.

Click to expand...

Exactly what Seth said; find out where (location wise) then look to see available properties that take redemption (aka big chains). Once you figure that out; since you have almost a year; determine what card/promo you need to partake in to get the required points to get the best value. Free Nights via certificates (Hyatt/Hilton); points redemption (all of them); C&P (SPG, Hilton, etc)

Or alternatively, if you already have some sort of significant balance in any of the chains then start from there. See if those chains are in locations you desire.

For me "best" is about location and price much more than whether it is a Park Hyatt, Westin or W.

Click to expand...

Agreed. I was in Vancouver last month and had a choice of staying at the Sheraton in Downtown or Park Inn on "main land". While the Sheraton was by far much better of an hotel, it had no balcony (or windows to really open) and the view was just of some other high rise. Park Inn had the view of the Vancouver from it's balcony and that was rather nice to wake up to in the morning.

I think my best is a combination of both location and luxury since my trip will be around 14 days (5days Seoul) and the rest in different cities throughout Japan. I would want to be able to experience pure luxury in some places but also hotels in great locations in other cities. Park Hyatt seems to be something to go for in both Seoul and Tokyo. The membership offered through milepoint might give me some upgrades on the Hyatt side but are there other tricks to achieving this?

I think my best is a combination of both location and luxury since my trip will be around 14 days (5days Seoul) and the rest in different cities throughout Japan. I would want to be able to experience pure luxury in some places but also hotels in great locations in other cities. Park Hyatt seems to be something to go for in both Seoul and Tokyo. The membership offered through milepoint might give me some upgrades on the Hyatt side but are there other tricks to achieving this?

Click to expand...

Chase credit card... when you apply once you are plat gives 2 suite upgrades on paid stays but if you are diamond when you apply you get 2 suite award nights.

Exactly what Seth said; find out where (location wise) then look to see available properties that take redemption (aka big chains).

Click to expand...

Most of the nicest hotels aren't big chains with free nights IME. Doesn't mean that those chains cannot offer good experiences or even sometimes be the best in a particular case, but they definitely aren't universally so.

“Our intention was never to launch a website, our intention was to build a global brand for frequent flyers.”

content + community + technology + social

InsideFlyer was created by travelers, for travelers. Here you can discover and share your experiences related to travel and frequent flyer programs with business travelers, leisure travelers, infrequent flyers and road warriors alike.

InsideFlyer is a privately funded venture based in Colorado Springs, CO (affectionally—the House of Miles). We’re a small diverse group of experienced frequent flyer experts, travel community builders, technologists, and friends of the flyer who want to help you learn to be an expert traveler. We believe that learning about frequent flyer miles should be as fun as travel itself.